Rotary Club Raises Thousands At Hope On The Vine Fundraiser In Newtown

NEWTOWN, PA — More than 120 people attended Hope on the Vine on Friday night at the Rafters in Newtown raising thousands of dollars for charitable causes.

The special fundraising evening, organized by the Newtown Rotary Club, was non-stop fun from the beginning of the evening to the end.

Throughout the evening guests browsed through tables filled with silent auction items while enjoying a night of socializing and food prepared by Chef Joe Garvey and ice cream donated by Shari Donahue of the Zebra Striped Whale.

Chef Joe Garvey at the carving station. (photo by Jeff Werner)

A highlight of the evening was a live auction led by Rotarian Paul Salvatore which brought in thousands of additional dollars for the club’s charitable causes.

Some of the highlights included a Florida vacation package including Disney and Universal; tickets to a Penn State football game; and dinner at home prepared personally by Chef Joe Garvey.

“The turnout tonight is amazing,” said club president Mick Petrucci. “When the Rotary puts on an event, the community responds.”

Petrucci commended event chairs, Danielle Witting and Stephanie Eubanks, for organizing “the best Hope on the Vine event we have ever seen.

"Danielle and Stephanie have literally steered this ship. And tonight we are docked, anchor dropped and we're here to have a good time. The community came out big for us. We have a packed house tonight. And we couldn’t be more pleased.”

The event is the club’s biggest fundraiser of the year and will allow it to hand out donations throughout the year to local organizations and charities.

Part of the funds will also be used to purchase ShelterBoxes for those affected by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. One ShelterBox provides a family tent, blankets, a cooking set, a shelter kit (shovels, saw, hammer an other rebuilding tools), a water filter, a solar light and a hygiene kit.

“We’re not sure how much we’re going to raise tonight, but I can tell you it’s going to be significant,” said Petrucci. “And that’s going to support many local organizations like the Newtown Theatre, the Newtown Library Company, all of our first responders, Shop With A Cop, and many others. We will also use this to hold events for the community like the Easter
Egg Hunt and Newtown’s Arbor Day. At Christmas, we help feed hundreds of families and we support the Angel Tree project.”

The evening was sponsored by Kenderdine's, UBS Rogers Wealth Management, Opus Elite, McCaffrey's Food Markets, 1130.works, Pickering Manor, Life Celebration by Swartz-Givnish, Johnson Kendall Johnson, Attleboro Wealth Management, the Newtown Business Association, Holland Floor Covering, America Insurance Agency and the First National Bank of Newtown.

Bar sponsors were Funding America Mortgage, Triple Sun Spirits, Iron Hill Brewery and the Yardley Distillery.

Paul Salvatore conducts the live auction. (photo by Jeff Werner)

The Sam Ryan Band entertains. (photo by Jeff Werner)